additional 25% off Sale at ANTHROPOLOGIE??? say WORD!!

I was walking through the mall and saw that Anthropologie in Garden State Plaza (GSP) is offering an additional 25% off markdowns. I could hardly believe my eyes. They never do anything like that and of course they would offer a deal like that when I've decided to take a break from shopping. I love Anthro but they are so stubborn with their markdowns. The most affordable thing on their sales rack for me is always just about $10 more than I am willing to pay and it's always so frustrating and disappointing.
So my fellow fashionista sistas, though I am not allowing myself to take part in this one, I do hope that some deserving diva can benefit.

Also, the Victoria's Secret Semi Annual sale began on Tuesday, June 14. I've also noted that the Vicky's in GSP has a new system for sale bra shopping. They still have bins of grouped bras but they also have them organized in draws similarly to the full priced bras. Great move Vicky's! This makes the semi annual sale so much easier to shop and I'm sure the sales associates prefer it too. 

Nordstrom's Half Yearly is still going on along with a ton more specials at other stores.

As always,

Happy Shopping!

Financial Responsibility

Financial responsibility is important if you want to stay looking fabulous because being broke is not fashion forward. Don't get me wrong, I love to shop. My heart skips a beat when I lay my eyes on the perfect pair of shoes. Articles of clothing have taken my breath away. And the first time I saw Saks 5th's shoe dept right before the half yearly sale, I saw shoe heaven. I couldn't afford to buy anything... but it was beautiful.

But lets get back to your money. You work hard for it. Or if you don't, someone else does. I mean unless you have a crop of money trees, you should spend it wisely. Why just give it away? While in the world of retail you can never really get your money's worth because the stores would never make a profit, you can always demand as much for your money as possible. This takes patience and it may mean holding out for a while and not buying anything until the prices are reasonably low.

Tips I use to save and stretch my dollars.

Take time to browse and compare prices
Since I had to throw out my worn out staple black pencil skirt over a year ago, I've been on the hunt for another but it is incredibly difficult to find nice fitting, good quality, black skirt with little to no distinguishing details marked down to less than $40. It is important that skirt has no distinguishing details so you can get away with wearing it [to the office] a couple times without anyone having to know it is the same skirt. Also, a gal should always have one in her closet for they come in handy very often. After months of hunting and holding out I found a gray and a black one at $15 each in Banana Republic!! I could hardly believe it and bought without question. It takes great discipline but you too can become a money miser.

Put aside savings and forget about. Act like you don't have that money hiding in separate account or in an envelope in your sock drawer. Money in your debit account is too easily accessible when you feel the urge to spend.

Put away amounts that end in 0
I find it much harder for me to break bills so I like my savings to equal an even amount $500, $650. And I like to use brand new $100 and $50 bills for cash stash so I will be less tempted to slip out a $20 for something I may not really need. Ever notice how as soon as you break a $10 or $20 bill, it's gone almost before you realize it? Smaller bills are easier to spend but they add up.

Bring your lunch
Street food is always more expensive than cooking but cooking saves you money. Think about how much money you can save each week just by bringing your lunch.

Hold out for sales
That's what I do. I save whatever I can outside of my necessary expenses like transportation cost to and from work (as much I would love to be able to eliminate that, reality is, it isn't going anywhere =/) and I don't do much shopping on a regular basis. I browse sales racks and I save up for the big sales so I can afford to really shop when they do happen.

Remember, you can look cute on a dime but not your last dime.. ;)

Sale Season is here again!

Every six months stores mark down items to clear out their inventory to make room for new stuff. It's June, so that means you can snag some of their early spring items that can be worn now or be kept for fall when the weather starts to cool back down.

The key to shopping on a budget  is shopping in the off season. I just saw some great sweaters in Banana Republic from the Spring '11 collection for about $11. I could hardly believe my eyes. While I would not even think about wearing a sweater in this heat, I know it will come in handy in the fall when the weather starts to get a little brisk and prices of sweaters will be way too high for my pockets. 

I also love to shop at the end of summer for things that I can wear during early fall and even keep for the following spring and summer.

I also love this time of year because I get items of good quality from stores that are usually way out of my price range.

While sales are fun to shop, the same rules always apply to ensure that you maximize your dollars.

Ask yourself:

Do I need this?

Do I even want it?

How many ways can I wear it?

Can it go with things I already have or will I have to buy things to go with it?

Is this a good color on me?

Does it do anything at all for my figure or my look?

Am I in love with it??? 

If you, with full conviction, believe it is a good buy, then go for it!

Here are some great sales I've shopped recently:

MACY*S

Bought: BGBGeneration Pewter handbag $13 & Chinese Laundry sandals about $13 after applying $10 off coupon

Tignanello handbag in coral $40.02 after $10 off coupon

BANANA REPUBLIC

Bought: Silk Cashmere blend cardigans ($10 each after add'l & $10 rewards card), fun spring skirt ($8), and two pencil skirts for work ($15 each) 

Spotted: Cable knit sweaters $11.97, tops for $7-16, skirts for $11.97, dresses for about $25

+ and add'l %25 off sales items

NORDSTROM

Bought: Report sandals $39.90

Spotted: shoes, shoes , and more shoes!